Yordano Ventura and the Abnormally Low Strikeout Rate

When one possesses a fastball like Yordano Ventura that averaged 98.31 MPH last season, one would expect that he would be quite the strikeout machine. This would especially be the case given that he threw 545 fastballs with a velocity of 98 MPH or higher. There is a erason why he has already earned the nickname of ‘Ace’ Ventura and has the twitter hashtag of #ThrowFire pretty much dedicated to his exploits.

Yet, despite his high octane fastball, Ventura surprisingly does not strike out nearly as many batters as one would expect. Last season, he struck out 159 batters, but in 183 innings of work. As a human flamethrower capable of hitting 102 MPH on the radar gun when he puts a little extra on the fastball, that number seems absurdly low.

In what would appear to be another anomaly for such a hard thrower, opponents only swung and missed at 10.62% of the fastballs that he threw last year. As Yordano Ventura has yet to develop a truly solid secondary pitch, let alone a tertiary pitch. With that being the case, opponents have been able to sit on that explosive fastball, and while they may not have much success against it, have been able to make contact.

Call to the Pen

It is that lack of a secondary pitch that may be holding Ventura back at this point. He certainly has the competitiveness and fire that one wants to see from a young pitcher, especially one that is expected to head up a starting rotation. However, fire and determination, as well as a 100+ MPH fastball, can only go so far without any other offerings being a legitimate threat.

There are signs that Yordano Ventura could, with some work, have those pitches ready soon. His cutter has been solid at times, even though he only has an 8.16% swing and miss rate against it. Perhaps the best choice for the third pitch to develop could be his change, which had a 16.60% swing and miss rate and a .230 batting average against. Even if that change comes in at 90 MPH, following a 100+ MPH heater, it could be deadly.

Ventura has been quite the interesting pitcher in the early part of his career, not just because of his ability to throw 100+ MPH at will, but because of his seemingly low strikeout rates. If he can get that secondary pitch to be more consistent, and turn his change into a viable weapon, that low strikeout rate could change in a hurry.

Yordano Ventura has made a name for himself through his ability to throw 100 MPH fastballs at will. Now, to take the next step, he needs to develop that next pitch.